I was introduced to the Fubuki series by Arlene (Pirl) and just love them. I am hoping that both of the two I have, 'Red and White' and 'Kogana' survive this spring. R&W was sent my Arlene and I have had it for two summers now. Hmmm. Maybe three. Is lovely and very prolific with blooms.

Also had Pineland's Princess though I don't think it survived the winter. For sure next year I will be more careful with the drying and place them in some moist peat again. I don't understand why they start shriveling so quickly in the fall after cutting them. It could be because I wash them though why that would cause shriveling I don't know. So I may just dump off the dirt and store 'au natural' then wash in the spring. Haven't tried that yet.

Beautiful blooms, Donna! I especially love Maxime or any dahlia with frosted edges. My two most favorite, Canby Centennial and Bradley Aaron, have really let me down recently. Every bloom on CC has been open centered the past two years and BA didn't bloom at all last year. I've ordered new stock of each one and hope for better luck this year.

I must be missing something here...why are open centered blooms a bad thing? The bud like centers are supposed to stay closed up only on certain dahlias? I can see I have a lot to learn about these beauties! I was just happy to see any blooms on mine!

Open centers are perfectly normal on many dahlias, especially a lot of smaller varieties. And sometimes very desirable. But it's very disappointing to have every single bloom look like the "thing" in this photo on every Canby Centennial plant the past two years. Hopefully, the new stock will correct this.

Thanks for posting that picture. Now I can see what you're talking about. I have to agree that the first pictures you posted are much prettier.

I have loved my Canby Centennial dahlia's. I hope they lasted through the winter. I have been spending a little time, as my poor cold ridden body will allow me. I have thrown quite a few shriveled up tubers away, but I have many that are big and robust and have many eyes. I know I lost several of my favorite. I looked back to see what I have ordered and they should be fantastic. I put more in the basket from Swan Island Dahlia's, but have not completed the order. I really shouldn't, but can't seem to help myself. I hope I can start feeling better so I can get the ground ready. This week it is suppose to be wet and cold though.
I do enjoy following along and seeing what everyone is doing and how excited everyone is. Thanks, I love sharing the enjoyment.

I love these.

I am afraid that I lost my Myrtle. But I did have a few plants of them, so hopefully one came through.

Very nice, Marie! Canby Centennial is an easy one to love.

Myrtle is lovely. I have really taken to the laciniated dahlias in the past few years, and also the cactus. Oh and the collerettes. Well, what is not to love? My orders should be arriving soon. Hope D gets my plywood today or tomorrow as I have no place to put them.

Dan, how long do you think it is for the tubers to sprout, or rather those that have eyes to plump up and emerge from the soil. Pretty ridiculous that I don't know the answer to that after all these years but I guess I never wrote it down and I know it will vary depending on the tuber. The tops of the pots are getting dry although I know that down an inch or so it is still moist. Wondering if perhaps a quick pass over the tops with the fine nozzle watering can just to keep them moist is advisable. Some of the seeds I saved from my own perennial flowers like goats beard, campanula, agastache are germinating. It would be nice to be able to fill in some of the spots with my own plants and not have to buy any. Since they are my own seed I know the plants are survivors here.

I really can't say, Mary. Sometimes it seems that certain varieties or even individual tubers have their own idea about when to grow. Last year, I had a dozen or more tubers that refused to sprout. Some were barely showing eyes by late June. I didn't want to give anyone a bunch of duds, yet I hated to trash them. I tilled another small area and started what I called a "tuber garden." I didn't really expect blooms by planting them in July but thought they might produce new tubers for this year. Wouldn't you know it? ... they started growing fast and several had blooms as good as the plants in the main beds. You never know.

I'm going out of town for a week. Probably early next week. I plan to take the tubers from the attic in the next few days and I hope they will start some growth so I can put them into planters when I get home. Hopefully, they'll have enough time to become "plants", without getting too leggy, when I set them out in early June.

Much better to underwater than overwater the tubers when you are getting them going. They have food & moisture stored. I start them in barely moist potting mix (dryer than I use to start seed) and don't water them until I am sure they have begun to develop a root system.

Because I start them in zip locks - I can just barely cover them, and then add more soil as the sprouts grow. It makes it easy to see the roots as they develop. It also makes it easy to check to see if the tuber is still healthy. It seems there are always a few that I identify as healthy, that then rot as I try to get them going.

Some tubers are fast starters and others that I consider giving up on, but then after a month actually do quite well. It does seem that usually when one of a variety sprouts, then the others do too with in a few days - but not always. At this point most of mine have eyed up, but there are maybe 20% that I am waiting on...........I check them every couple of days. I get a little obsessive about them

Geof, have you ever stored tubers from a plant with not-so-good blooms and seen any improvement the following year? Or are those tubers doomed with the same built-in results going forward? The reason I ask is because I've saved tubers from the pathetic Canby Centennials the past two years and saw no improvement last year and have doubts for this year. Maybe I'm wasting my time. I have new ones ordered from two different suppliers.

Dan - thats my experience too - if every flower on the plant is going open centered, then its probably due to some sort of genetic loss, so it isn't going to get better. If I love it, I'll give it a 2nd year, but after that I'll toss them.

However - I have certainly had plants not do very well one year, produce hardly any blooms and just not look vigorous, and then have them be one of the best in the garden the following year.

When I think about it, I know that I have several plants that I have had since the beginning of my dahlia growing (10 yrs?) that just aren't what they were the first few years. I am not sure if I have just gotten pickier, or if they simply dont have all of their juice anymore. I have been growing just a single plant of most of them for years, and keeping one tuber out of 4-10 that are produced, is certainly not the way to improve your stock. I wish I had the room to grow 5-6 of each and then just keep tubers from the best plants. Or even better take cuttings like the brits do so that you have clones.

Thanks, Geof! If I have room I might plant one or two of the duds just to see what I get this year. I'll be sure to mark them when planted so I don't get them mixed up with the new ones.

This is the reply from Eugene Kenyon (River's Dahlias) about the open centers:

Well, I lost the battle, or at least my pocket book did. I placed my order. (It's my anniversary, I can buy me something I want. right?) I really do want to find a Lady Darlene again though.
Geof, I think I am going to follow your lead and start mine in plastic bags also. Thanks for the idea.

Geof (mandolls) sent me some tubers last year, in plastic bags with vermiculite. I just added a tiny bit of water and did see the roots as they grew. That convinced me to do it his way this year. We have a nice rainy day so I'll be checking tubers today and may put them downstairs.

Kasasagi, in the kitchen, now has another bud!

I think I am going to try this space saving method too. Thanks for the idea Geof.

One thing I like about the zip locks is once they really start growing you can cuff down the top and the "zip" part holds it there nicely. But mainly its the space saving, I can fit at least twice as many in a standard tray as I can 4" pots (plus a 5" tuber still fits nicely)

Be careful about letting the sprouts grow up against the plastic - that can rot them - just stuff some soil between the sprout and the side of the bag if that is happening.

And when they go outside to harden off either snip drain holes or cover them when it rains - I drowned a few last year, all of the baby roots died and they never really recovered.

that is an interesting method - the bag thing. I have maybe three trays with tubers laid out. I ran out of room and figured I would let them lay and eye up or not. I may try them in the bags. I moisten my soil slightly before potting so I know that except for the top few inches that is drying out, the tuber is covered in slightly moist soil. Considering the level of dessication it has to be helpful. I have maybe five showing green/red shoots but assume those were 'eyed up' when they went into the pots. I did snip off several shoots as they were weak and twisty. I am hoping somehow the tuber either has another eye or can push out another shoot from the original eye. Have no clue

I potted up at least 50 tubers in quart plastic baggies. That is so slick, easy as can be. I have got most of my tubers divided. The ones that kept the best were 'Who Dun It' and my 'white daisy', I think the white daisy is one that I started from seed a couple of years ago. The 'Black Satin' did well also. I hope to be able to pot (baggie) up most of the rest of them by Saturday night.
I am feeling much better, still no energy, but that will come.
Thanks for all the help everyone.